Friday, February 28, 2014

All together recite or sing the "Lord's Prayer" ("Pater Noster" or "Our Father"). The priest introduces it with a short phrase and follows it up with a prayer called the embolism and the people respond with the doxology. The sign of peace is exchanged and then the "Lamb of God" ("Agnus Dei" in Latin) litany is sung or recited, while the priest breaks the host and places a piece in the main chalice; this is known as the rite of fraction and commingling.

The priest then presents the transubstantiated elements to the congregation, saying: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." Then all repeat: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." The priest then receives Communion and, with the help, if necessary, of extraordinary ministers, distributes Communion to the people, who usually approach in procession. Silence is called for following the Communion procession. A Prayer After Communion is then proclaimed by the priest while all stand.

Transubstantiation (in Latin, transsubstantiatio, in Greek μετουσίωσις metousiosis) is the change whereby, according to Catholic doctrine, the bread and the wine used in the sacrament of the Eucharist become, not merely as by a sign or a figure, but also in reality the body and blood of Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that the substance or reality of the bread is changed into that of the body of Christ and the substance of the wine into that of his blood, while all that is accessible to the senses (the outward appearances - species in Latin) remains unchanged. What remains unaltered is also referred to as the "accidents" of the bread and wine, but this term is not used in the official definition of the doctrine by the Council of Trent. The manner in which the change occurs, the Catholic Church teaches, is a mystery: "The signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ."

So, what is this ritual? An objective observer could say this is ritual cannibalism. ("not merely as a sign or figure")

Academics might note in passing that this ritual has been on occasion described as such, but when studying Catholics, their history, etc., they go by the Catholic understanding of their ritual. Can you imagine someone who keeps insisting that the Catholics practice ritual cannibalism will get a platform in a major university in the United States to publish and propagate those views? How many academic journals will accept their papers?

But, these rules do not apply to Hindus and Hinduism. Anyone who has the temerity to point out this glaringly obvious fact is accused of being a "Hindu fundamentalist", whatever that might mean.